4-digit channel numbers

Aren't the 4-digit numbers accessed only through the cable boxes (set top boxes)??? Why would your TV need to access 4-digit numbers?

No TV can "tune" any (real) cable channel other than 1-135.

How digital cable channels are mapped depends on how the TV tuner interprets and what the cableco sends in it's PSIP info.

Many (most?) TV tuners will display the cable channel as R.xx
R = real cable channel assignment
xx = sub-channel

As an example:
When using a cable box, the channel would be 1004. Using the TV's internal tuner, the channel may be 129.18 or 31.3

All you can do is scan and see what you get. And you may have to do that quite often as the cableco may shuffle channel assignments frequently.

Thanks, I appreciate the explanation also. As "they" say, you learn something new every day.

Cox in CT has transitioned the HD cable channels to 1xxx as you stated but ... the ClearQAM are mapped to the actual OTA channel. For example, FOX-CT SD is channel 6 on the STB, the HD channel is 1006, but the ClearQAM channel is 61.1 on the TV, the same as FOX's OTA channel.

Funny... as I explained, no TV's "tune" channels above 135.

Do you have a TV that "tunes" to the 700's with no cable box? Is so, what is the make/model? If it works for you now, why anticipate a problem?

Not arguing, but providing reality (or validity). It all depends on the TV's tuner and how the cableco sends compatible info that your TV's tuner recognizes/supports.

Why the hostility Hoss?

Post #7 is accurate (for most cases).

My HDTV doesn't show the cable box channel numbers at all for the clear QAM channels, instead it uses the PSIP data from the original source channel apparently. Like 6-1 or 10-1, instead of on the cable box its 706 or 710.

I see the same on all of mine sets except it is the CW channel. To clarify, on my HDTVs with the cable connected directly to them (not OTA) the CW channel KASW, SD analog NTSC is on channel 6, The clear QAM HD is on channel 61.1, channel 61 is the NTSC SD History channel, and the clear QAM SD CW channel is on 80.4. On the STB the clear QAM SD channel is on channel 6 and the HD channel is on channel 1006. IMO this will be true on at least 90% of the HDTV sets. I would be interested to know if there are any reports of an HDTV without a cable card that would find the CW HD channel on 1006. One of my sets has a cable card which when installed finds the channels at the same channel numbers as the STB, 6 and 1006.

As I am attempting to explain, ALL TV tuners can only "tune" real channel frequencies from 1-135. Again... how the cableco assigns virtual channels is their perogative. How or if someone's TV interprets the signal depends on the capability and/or compatibility of the TV's tuner. You are selecting a "virtually assigned" channel... not a "real" channel.

I'm glad that you don't anticipate a problem with your TV and commend you for having a concern for others that may have problems with their TV's.

Personally, I suggest, If someone has a problem selecting 4 digit channel numbers, they should contact their cable provider and kindy request they change/revert back to 3 digit channel assignments for clear QAM channels (which is probably unlikely). The only alternatives would be to rent a cable box or purchase a TV that can select 4 digit channel numbers.

BTW... you probably would be better asking posters to respond only if their set is capable of selecting 4 digit channels.

Zzzzzz... For what it's worth, I just checked my Samsung B650 and it WILL let me enter up to and including 5 digits. I would guess my A650 will do the same but I'm too lazy to go check.

Maybe or maybe not. You probably know darned well what I am try to clarify.


You are not "tuning", you are "selecting". I've tried to express this point.


Okay. That's all well and good. You or others may or may not have specific issues with COX and your clear QAM capable TV's in specific locations/areas. There are many cable providers across the country and typically all unencrypted channels are limited to local channels and mapped to closely relate to the OTA channel number. I did not "insist" that xx.x xx-x is the way it works everywhere. If you calmly re-read my previous posts, I was attempting to clarify the difference of terms channel tuning, assignments, selection, real/virtual. And... compatibility/capability of the cableco and the TV's tuner.


It may... but I don't subscribe to Cox cable. And if I did, I'd probably use a cable box (STB) as I would subscribe to more than "limited basic".


Fair enough. Ask to have the mods edit the thread title to reflect "Cox Cable" or ask to have this thread cleaned and moved to the Cox Cable forum.

Your opening post, IMHO, is very general. To make the point:

Many?? or... Cox predominantly?

Probably the majority.

Nice, thorough answer but I doubt if he'll be satisfied until every member punches in as many numbers as he/she can and reports back with the number entered and make/model of the TV.

Update: I checked my Samsung A650 and it will only let me "enter" 4 digits as opposed to 5 for my B650.

Thanks... I've tried. After 24+ hours, not many have provided info, so either no one cares or it's in the wrong forum.

I think you hit the nail on the head... probably no one cares.

Many threads continue forever because they are important to so many people.

Conversely, other people have issues that are unique pretty much only to them and if they don't get enough responses in total or enough responses that satisfy them, then they bump their threads, get ticked off at members who don't reply, or get ticked off even more when they get a reply they don't like, don't feel comfortable with, or that doesn't fit into the little slot that they have in their minds that gives them the exact information they feel they need.

And, that's fine also as long as they understand when it's time take a deep breath and accept what they get or don't get.

Talk about semantics? This was my quote in post #3...
"No TV can "tune" any (real) cable channel other than 1-135."
How more concise can one be? So... if said "physical" instead of "real", you would have agreed?


Nice sidestep. This is your opening post:
"With many cable companies going to 4-digit channel numbers (1xxx) for ClearQAM channels, I was wondering if any make/model HDTV sets are incapable of tuning 4-digit channels."

Sure seems like a question specific to cable TV to me.

Watch and listen up to around 1:10....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q7mjoxHzm4

Here's a frequency/allocation chart for reference.
http://www.jneuhaus.com/fccindex/cablech.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_A...on_frequencies

So much controversy!!

I think maybe the OP originally just wanted to know how many digits could be entered on various makes/models of tv. In my case with a Sony KDL46EX710 I can go up to 5 digits when pressing the tuner number buttons. That's last years model but Sonys are pretty consistent so I think it would be safe to assume that any Sony over the last couple of years should do the same.

The difficulty seems to be that what with different channel mapping, psip data, etc. there's no way of knowing which or how many numbers to press to get a particular clear qam channel on a particular set on a particular cable system.

It's entirely possible (I've seen this on Comcast here in Fresno) for a given channel to be at, say, 704 on a cable box, and the same channel to require one to punch 24.1 on a clear qam tv set. Then there are the cable companies that try to sell boxes by reassigning channels all the time requiring clear qam users to rescan while box users see no difference.

Taking this into account it would be pretty impossible for anyone not in his area using his cable system to go beyond telling how many digits can be pressed--he still wouldn't know specifically how to get the channels he wants to watch.

May I gently suggest he go to the local HD reception forum

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forum...aysprune=&f=45

do a search for his particular town, and post an inquiry there to find out just what others in his same situation are encountering as far as getting desired channels with clear qam tuners on their particular make/model sets?

Alternatively there's also the option of popping for a box or, in many situations, using an antenna.

Hope this doesn't offend anyone.

Not at all...
Explanations/clarifications/suggestions have been attempted.

Simply... the OP's topic should be, "Can your TV/remote manually select channels with 4 digits?"